Display-case.



W. P. SHAFFBR. DISPLAY CASE. APPLICATION i'ILBD MAR. 11, 1910.

Patented July 26,1910.

WALLACE F. SHAFFER, OF KENDALLVILLE, INDIANA.

DISPLAY-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 26, 1910.

Application filed March 11, 1910. Serial No. 548,543.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVALLAOE F. SHAFFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kendallville, in the county of Noble and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Display-Case, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to display cases of that type particularly designed for holding jewelry, fountain pens, and other small articles of merchandise and its object is to provide a simple and attractive device of this character which is compact in construction and which utilizes one or more trays which are slidably mounted and to which access may be conveniently had from the back of the case.

A further object is to provide trays of novel construction and which display their contents to the best advantage.

A further object is to provide a case having a closure designed, when opened, to constitute a shelf on which the trays may, be supported when partly withdrawn from the case.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts here inafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the pre ferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :F igure 1 is a perspec tive view of a portion of a case constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section therethrough, the position of the door and one of the trays, when said tray is partly with drawn, being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the trays. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the back end of a modified form of tray and through the adjoining portion of the case.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a base having an up standing flange 2 along the front portion thereof and also along its end, there being corner posts 3 at the back of the base and which serve to support a top strip 4. The end and front walls of the case are preferably formed of glass and are mounted on the flanges 2, these Walls being indicated at 5. Said walls serve to support the glass top 6, the rear edge of which bears on and is reinforced and supported by the strip 4.

The glass portions of the case can be held together in any preferred manner, as by means of bolts 7 extending through the top 6 and into the base, the walls 5 being affixed to the top in any preferred manner. Moreover fastening screws 8 may be extended through the top and into the strip 4. A door 9 is hingedly connected to the rear edge of the base, the hinges 10 being mounted with their outer faces flush with the adjoining faces of the base and door so that, when the door is swung into open position, its hinge end will come into contact with the rear edge of the base and the door will thus be supported with its upper face sub stantially flush with the corresponding face of the base. A finishing strip 11 may be secured to the top strip 4, and when the door 9 is shut it is designed to lie close to the strip 11, both the strip and the door being provided with cooperating means whereby said door can be locked in closed position.

One or more trays may be used within the case, each of these trays being preferably formed of substantially triangular side pieces 12 connected at their small ends by a cross strip 13 designed, when the tray is in position in the case, torest with its upper edge substantially in the same plane with the top of the flange 2. A back strip connects the large ends of the side pieces 12 and is provided 1n its lower edge with a recess or notch 15 sufficiently large to conveniently receive a finger. An inclined'partition 16 is secured to the side pieces and to the front and back strips of the tray, this partition being preferably parallel with the upper edges of the side pieces and supporting a cover 17 of any suitable material and which is preferably corrugated as shown. This cover does not extend up to the back strip 14. Instead there is an inclined strip 18 of celluloid or the like interposed between the cover 17 and the back strip 14 and 011 which prices or names of articles may be marked. l/Vhen the tray is in position within the case its front strip 13 bears against the front flange 2 and back strip 14 is contacted by the closed door 9. It will be seen that the inclined upper surface of the tray will hold the articles of merchandise in positions where they can be conveniently seen, and when it is desired to inspect or remove any of the articles from the tray, it becomes merely necessary to swing the door 9 downwardly so as to bring it into alinement with the base 1. The tray can then be pulled outward onto the projecting door simply by inserting a finger into the recess so that it can be caused to engage the back strip 14. Where more than one tray is arranged within the case, partitions 19 may be located at desired points in the case.

If preferred, and as shown in Fig. 4, the door 9 can be dispensed with and the back strip 20 of the trays can be suifi'ciently large to completely close the opening between the base 1 and the cross strip 41. WVhen the parts are constructed in this manner it is necessary to provide each tray with a separate lock. 7 Obviously the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is advantageous because all ozt the trays are locked in place simply by closing and locking the door 9.

Various changes can of course be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A display case including a door hingedly connected to the bottom of the case and adapted to swin outwardly with its upper face flush with the top of the bottom of the case to constitute a ledge, and a tray slidably mounted on the bottom of the case and on the door when lowered, said tray including from and rear end strips and an article receiving cover inclined upwardly from the front end strip to the rear end strip, said rear end strip having a finger receiving opening therein below the cover and adapted to be contacted and retained by the door when shut.

2. The combination with a case, of a tray slidably and removably mounted therein, said tray including side pieces having in clined upper edges, cross strips connecting the ends of the side pieces, one of said strips having a finger receiving opening, an in clined partition connecting the side pieces, an article receiving cover upon the partition, and means interposed between the coverand one of the end strips for receiving data relative to the contents of the tray.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

l/VALLAOE F. SHAFFER.

WVitnesses:

l/V. C. PFAFFMAN,

ALBERT O. PFAFFMAN. 

